Lord,
Please hear my prayer–
A prayer of confession and need, for
I grow weary of life’s battles.
I long for safety and protection.
I internalize the unfairness around me.
I envy those whose lives seem perfect.
And I sometimes consider myself
a victim without voice
a pawn of evil forces
a struggler with no resolution in sight.
You know, O Lord, of our turmoils,
of detoured routing
along the roads we travel.
You know of our desire for calm, and predictability,
and control of our own destinies.
We know, O Lord, of our limitations,
of skewed vision that
zooms in on troubles
while overlooking the goodness
that also accompanies our journey.
Like those who have gone before us,
who wrestled with unfair circumstances
who cried out to You
in dark, lonely times
So also we call out
and earnestly ask for the measure of
strength, hope, and love that
can only come from You–
the One who knows us, loves us, sustains us,
and brings us hope and joy
in spite of the unfairness
that permeates our days.
By Virgil Fry
From Rekindled: Warmed by Fires of Hope (Leafwood, 2007)